


Do you?

by EaSnowPw



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Titan battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 16:02:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14937456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EaSnowPw/pseuds/EaSnowPw
Summary: Thanos must not get the time stone. Even if you die. Of course Stephen wouldn't give it up for you. One person vs half the universe? No brainer.So why did he give it up for Tony Stark?In which you ponder your relationship with someone who already knows the future.





	Do you?

**Author's Note:**

> Reader is a telepath training at Kamar Taj with Strange. They can use similar spells to him, just weaker, as well as read minds.  
> Reader is gender neutral.

You're on Titan, fighting against Thanos, giving it your all. After the mad titan destroys your team effort, you all go with whatever you can, one at a time, all at the same time, doesn't matter. Stephen has just been tossed away like a ragdoll when you go in, trying to get him time to recover.

"(Y/N)!" your boyfriend calls desperately.

Thanos easily dismisses your spells (You're not even surprised, considering he just defeated Stephen). He catches you by the neck and presses the gauntlet against your temple.

"Surrender the stone," he says, looking straight at your lover. You meet his blue eyes and somehow, you know. He's ready to watch you suffer. The Eye isn't going anywhere.

'Don't fool yourself,' you tell Thanos telepathically. 'He's never going to do anything to sacrifice the universe. He's not that kind of man.'

'We shall see.'

And then you sink into a world of unbearable pain. Stephen looks away and you do your damn best to make this easy on him, to muffle your whimpers of pain and not scream. You're ready to die if it means Thanos will lose. After all, he must not get the Time Stone. Under no circumstances.

Stark saves you, flying straight into you and Thanos. You roll away, limp and panting in pain. You glance at your boyfriend, who is watching the battle with pure determination. Perhaps this is it... He's waiting to catch the titan off guard. You focus on the fight, catching your breath. Maybe you should help? You're too weakened to ask Stephen mentally.

Then Thanos stabs Stark, getting ready to kill him. You can't look.

"Stop!" Your blood freezes at your lover's voice. "Spare his life and I will give you the stone."

Thanos glances at you before he replies  
"No tricks?"

And, to your horror, Stephen conjures the stone from where he hid it and levitates it over. Thanos puts it into the gauntlet and leaves. Tony gives Stephen a look that reflects everyone's thoughts.

"Now why did you do that?"

"We're in the endgame now," the sorcerer oh so helpfully replies. Tony looks at you and winces.

Your powers have returned somewhat after a few minutes and you initiate a telepathic argument.

'Thanks for having my back there, love.'

Stephen groans, but has the decency to look apologetic.

'Sorry.'

'I'm just saying, if you were gonna give up the stone anyway, why did you let him almost kill me?'

'I knew Stark would save you. Besides, I would have traded for nothing.'

You see red and it's not the cloak you love as much as its owner.

'For nothing? Thanks for letting me know at least.'

'No, you don't understand. Shit, I'm short on time...'

The guardians are turning into dust as you watch helplessly. Stephen realizes that you stopped focusing on his mind.

"You were going to survive the snap anyway," he says. You see Peter cling to Stark like a lifeline. "I'm sorry. It was the only way." Your heart freezes when he turns into dust himself.

For a moment, you mourn. You want to wail, to scream, to cry in pain. Then rage takes over. At Stephen for making it look like Stark was more important than you, but mostly at Thanos for being the douchebag he is. You see Stark going through a similar process as the blue alien woman waits. When rage takes over, filling him with vengeace, he says

"Let's get home. We need to regroup."

* * *

 

The Avengers assemble in Wakanda. You tag along after checking on Wong. He's fine, just having a mental breakdown at how many students vanished. You don't stick around.

As the team works, you help with the magic part. Stark occasionally gives you various questioning looks. He knows you were dating Stephen and the whole time stone thing hurt. You dismiss the concern.

It takes Thanos a few days to realize that you are cooking him something. When he does, it takes all your magical knowledge to keep him away. By the time the battle starts again, you hadn't slept and had kept up magic wards for longer than you thought possible. As it is, you miss the battle because when Tony tells you they're ready, you fall down, exhausted. By the time you arrive, the battle is over.

You won.

* * *

 

People are reappearing from thin air (freaky magical dust) everywhere. Some are confused and look around for their friends and family. Some are hugging, in tears. You look around when a portal opens and Peter rushes in. Tony, because after everything he's now Tony, runs to hug the kid. Stephen comes up from behind him and closes the portal, looking around warily. He walks towards you, happy, but unsure. There were other ways. You know it. He knows it.

He's not expecting a hug, but once he gets it, he doesn't expect it to end so soon or the tears in your eyes when it does.

"Hey," he says gently, "I'm alive. It's alright."  
You step away from his comfort.

"You would let me die if you had to. No, that sounds selfish. You only look for the first good scenario, if I die in it, then so be it."

"(Y/N)..." he begins, but you're full on rant mode.

"There were other ways. You could've asked him to spare both of us, hell, why not include Peter while you're at it, you just let a 15 year old kid see war, torture and death. Congratulations."

"Hey, that wasn't..."

"I know. But you know what I don't know? What am I to you?" You hear his thoughts go haywire, looking for a correct answer and roll your eyes. "Am I a pawn? Do you cultivate my powers so you can have a telepath by your side? So I can compensate your weak points? What happens when you master telepathy? It's just a matter of time after all. Why are you dating me? Is it some ploy to save the planet, some sort of long term investment?" Tears flood your eyes as the last sentence painfully echoes in your thoughts. You know you love him, can't help but love him. You always have, since you met as med students, even if you have only recently started dating. You became a cardiologist, him a neurosurgeon, but you were always together as friends. You abandoned your old life to go to Nepal with him. And when the Ancient One kicked him out but let you stay to train, you begged on your knees for her to accept him, to look at the good he could do. She had seen his arrogance, his lack of respect and total disregard for rules. You told her about him crying in your arms when he lost a hopeless patient. He would never stray from the right path, would always make the right choice, you'd said to her and you still believe it. He's proven it, repeatedly. But... "You've probably already seen this conversation and know just what to say to appease me."

You don't need to read his mind to know how these words affect him. His face spells hurt.

"I only looked until I made sure we won."

"Good for you. First time sucks."

You turn around to walk away. He grabs your wrist.

"Please don't leave. I can't be... I can't do this without you by my side."

"Apparently, you can," you reply. "A single thought. Just one. That was all it would have taken for me to know what would follow. Nobody else would have known."

"I'm sorry," he says with a pained face. Can you believe him?

You look into his mind and the pure terror you find there shocks you. He doesn't want to lose you. He lost the Ancient One, Mordo and his few friends. You and maybe Wong are all he has left. His mind is working overtime, thoughts jumbling, trying to come up with a way to make you understand that he'd rather go back to dying against Dormammu than return to the sanctum without you.

"I was afraid that if I changed anything, we wouldn't win. If Stark hadn't come to your rescue..." He shook his head. "If he hadn't, well, we were on the wrong timeline and I would have had to turn back time." You see your own terrified eyes searching for his as Thanos threatens to kill you. With his memory, that image isn't going away anytime soon. "Not sure how I would've managed that, but..." he shrugs, dismissing the thought. "Please don't tell me I saved the universe and lost you."

And there, in his messy thoughts, one prevails.

'I love you.'

You freeze. You have read his mind countless times, occasionally just to hear that, but you never picked it up before now. You just figured he didn't like you that much, but his affection seemed genuine, so you'd taken it. 

You expect an epiphany moment, like you had, but apparently he has already had it some other time, because he doesn't dismiss that thought. It's guarded, like he doesn't want you to see it, but nurtured, like he wants to keep it with him forever.

"(Y/N)?"

You realize you have spent a few minutes in silence, just staring at your boyfriend.

"Sorry, I was reading your mind."

He seems taken aback, but quickly figures out what you read and sighs.

'This is not how I imagined this moment to go.'

"It's true, you know? I can't lie inside my head."

You nod, still in bliss and hug him close.

"Tell me the plan next time even if I have to die."

His chuckle is strained and he squeezes you tighter.

'I don't watch after you die.'

"Deal."

You wonder how you could have been so foolish as to doubt this man.


End file.
